Oldest mosque in France dates to 13th century, excavations reveal
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Archaeologists in Tsingoni, Mayotte, a French territory, discovered that the local mosque is much older than previously thought.
Excavations conducted from July to September 2023 during restoration work revealed the mosque dates back to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Previously, historians believed the mosque originated in the 16th century with the rise of the Mahorian sultanate, of which Tsingoni was the capital.
The mosque stands prominently in the commune of Tsingoni, which has over 14,000 residents, and overlooks a bay facing the lagoon on the west of Grande-Terre island. Its minaret features slender, square columns, a covered balcony, and a metallic crescent. Justine Saadi, from the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap), presented the scientific report detailing the new dating on September 14.
The discovery places the mosque within the context of the Comoros archipelago’s history, which began in the 9th century, and its connections with the East African coast before the French colonized Mayotte in 1843. The mosque was officially designated a historical monument in 2015.
